Cricut Maker, Champagne

I liked the machine. Thought it was big but it's small and portable (although heavy)I wish in future Cricut can add more beginner tools for first project.

The Cricut is an awesome device for creative types. Using their web-based software, you can build different designs and it will draw/cut/score those out on a variety of materials, like vinyl, scrapbook paper, cloth, etc.I've been using the Cricut specifically for scrapbook paper and I've found it to be pretty good.What I Like About It- easy to use, and easy to load- generally fast- very precise cuts

The Cricut Maker is more than just a cutting machine; it's a gateway to creative freedom, a catalyst for inspiration, and a game-changer in the world of crafting. I embarked on this journey with a dash of skepticism, and now I can say with unadulterated excitement that this machine has redefined my relationship with crafting. From making personalized gifts to upgrading my home decor, the Cricut Maker has elevated my DIY projects to a whole new level.For the sake of a balanced and comprehensive review, I will delve into the specifics of the product, highlighting both its merits and any minor improvements that could enhance the overall experience. Rest assured, my review incorporates both my praises and constructive feedback.🌟 Cutting Force & Versatility: Unleashing the Creative Beast Within: The first thing to catch my attention was the 10X cutting force, which enables the Cricut Maker to cut through over 300+ materials. I’ve successfully used it to cut paper, fabric, leather, and even light wood. Its ability to handle such a wide range of materials makes it a crafter's dream come true, providing an all-in-one solution for various projects.🌟 Interface & Connectivity: A Seamless Experience: The Bluetooth connectivity is smooth, making it easy to sync with all my devices. I've run it on iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac without a hitch. The user interface, accessible via the Cricut Design Space app, is intuitive and straightforward, offering a quick learning curve even for beginners.🌟 Project Diversity: From 2D to 3D: The ability to create 3D art is something I initially underestimated. I’ve since made intricate popup greeting cards, layered photo frames, and even small pieces of 3D wall art. The Cricut Maker is not just about cutting; it’s about creating multi-dimensional projects that would be almost impossible to execute by hand.🌟 Home Decor Revolution: My Space, My Style: The Cricut Maker's impact on my home decor is hard to overstate. Custom-made wall decals, personalized table runners, and even curtain designs have all been made possible, allowing me to infuse my personal style into my living space. This machine has turned me from a crafting novice to a DIY home decor enthusiast.🌟 Reliability & Durability: Built to Last: The Cricut Maker is robust, and the quality of its craftsmanship is apparent. Despite using it intensively for over a year, the machine shows no signs of wear and tear, and its performance remains consistent, making it a worthwhile long-term investment.However, like any product, there are areas for improvement:🌟 Software Limitations: While the Cricut Design Space app is generally user-friendly, there are instances where the software could offer more advanced editing features for professionals. However, this is a minor gripe considering that the software is regularly updated, and new features are often added.In light of all these aspects, the Cricut Maker certainly earns a 5-star rating. The incredible cutting force, versatile project possibilities, seamless connectivity, and long-lasting build make it a must-have for anyone serious about crafting. The few minor limitations are far outweighed by the machine's overall capability and utility.To my fellow crafters, and even to those who've never picked up a pair of scissors, I can't recommend the Cricut Maker enough. It's not just a machine; it’s a source of limitless creativity, an inspiration machine that has forever altered the way I approach crafts and home decor.In a world where crafting often involves navigating through numerous tools and complicated techniques, the Cricut Maker simplifies the process without compromising on the quality or complexity of the final product. This machine has acted as a bridge between my imagination and reality, allowing me to bring my creative visions to life in a tangible form.It’s been exhilarating to craft personalized gifts for friends and family, seeing their eyes light up at something made uniquely for them. Moreover, the sense of accomplishment I feel when looking at the home decor pieces I've created is incomparable. The Cricut Maker has empowered me to take creative control of the spaces around me and the gifts I give to loved ones, making each item a unique expression of creativity.For anyone sitting on the fence about this investment, I say take the leap. The Cricut Maker will not only meet your expectations but likely surpass them, offering you a versatile and reliable crafting companion that can handle a plethora of materials and project types.Thank you for investing the time to read this comprehensive review. I sincerely hope that my experience can offer valuable insights into what the Cricut Maker is capable of, making your decision-making process that much easier. Here's to countless creative endeavors and fulfilling crafting sessions ahead!

I've been using this Cricut Maker almost every day since I bought it in March, six months ago. I love it and I'm constantly looking for new projects to make with it.I guess my biggest issue though, is precision of the cuts. All of the YouTube bloggers have similar issues with their Cricuts: intricate details don't always cut precisely. I spend quite a bit of time inspecting my cuts with Xacto in hand, to try to fix the cuts that don't quite meet up. Not correcting a bad cut before weeding can cause elements of your project to get lost in the weeds you've removed.This precision issue also affects other aspects such as engraving. If the image I'm trying to engrave is too small, the resulting lines can be a bit sloppy instead of "arrow-straight".Still, for what is does, the precision concerns above are a minor annoyance. For larger works, it cuts or engraves just fine. There's just a limit to how well it can do smaller projects.

Beware! This machine is like a gateway drug and can lead too addictions. Once you have it, you find you need vinyl and paper and markers. You think you can run into a craft store and pick up some white heat transfer vinyl and come out wth six bags and have spent $287.42 and and then have to return to get the white htv. You start working on a project when you have a few minutes, next thing you know, the sun is coming up and your boss is calling asking why you aren't at work. Dinner has not been cooked for a week, but all of your canisters are labeled. Your family knows better than to ask you to buy a shirt wth a logo, because you can just make it, right after you get on Amazon and order more supplies. UPS is in no danger of going out of business because you are now on a first name basis with your local driver and have made him a travel mug for his coffee. Let me tell you, nothing like having vinyl stuck to various places when you go out in public to make you a well known, or maybe, it's well remembered, fashion statement. On the good side, since you are busy with your hands, you can't eat as much, so if you need to lose weight, this machine is for you! Do you have insomnia? Perfect! Now you have something to do I the middle of the night! Shopping ends up way different too. All of a sudden, you look at things differently, hey, I could put vinyl on that! I will buy 362 of these little bags so I can deviate them for class gifts for my kids, their kids and their kids kids.You have a friend or family member that never leaves you alone? Buy this machine for them! You will never see them again AND get custom gifts in return. Win win!Easy to use, so the kiddos can use it for school projects. Decorate your house, make cards, get ready for holidays. Send someone a thoughtful card or tell them to get lost, all wth one machine!

03/14/2021: As of this writing, Cricut has decided that if you use their Design Space Software (the only software that works with their machines), that you can only upload 20 of your OWN IMAGES per month. Cricut never properly configured their "offline" mode, so everything you import into Design Space is ultimately stored on their cloud (and also your computer). Well, they are now limited uploads to 20 a month unless you cough up $10 a month for their Cricut Access. So, just to be clear, these are YOUR images to use/cut on YOUR MACHINE that you paid for. This would be equivalent to your HP printer only allowing you to print 20 of your own documents before hitting a paywall. Until they reverse this decision, I will NEVER purchase another Cricut product again and recommend everyone check out Silhoutte's product line.08/23/2020: I had the Cricut Air Explore before this and I didn't use it a whole lot. I had been reading about the Maker and decided to take the plunge. I bought the machine on Amazon for $329. As soon as I brought it home, set it up and did my first test cut, I heard a terrible knocking noise when the carriage was moving back and forth. I emailed Member Support that night and awaited their response. But, being it took so long to get a response, I just opted to return it to Amazon and get another one. The second one did not have the noise, but did have some scuffing on my brand new machine. So far, I was frustrated. Note that this review will also be about the software, support and whole Cricut user experience and not just the machine. These three things are all intertwined.I think my biggest frustration is that right out of the box, you can't do much with it. I realize it's not going to come with a pallet of supplies and tools, but for the price paid ($329 as of this writing), it only comes with two blades - one fine blade and one rotary blade (for fabric). Oh, and two mats that are bent in the box. Bare minimum, it should come with a sample piece of vinyl, HTV, cardstock or something simple, a scraper and a weeding tool. You're going to have to buy a LOT of extras if you want to even make half of the cool stuff with the Cricut Maker. The sheer # of blades/tips you'll need gets costly. I bought the knife blade (which requires its own housing), the debossing tip, the engraving tip, the scoring wheel, the DOUBLE scoring wheel, deep cut blade (not the same as the knife blade) and extra mats. And I didn't even buy all the blades/tips.The blade system is intense and confusing. Some blades have their own housing, and some blades/tips are swappable. The fine point blade and the deep point blade require different housings, as does the knife blade. The first night I was trying to use the knife blade, I kept noticing the material I wanted to cut was greyed out. After some Googling, I found out you cannot use the knife blade if you're using the mobile app (like on an iPad). WHAT? That doesn't even make sense. I'm still peeved about that. One blade that everyone wants to use and you can't use it with your iPad?! I mean, there's even an iPAD HOLDER on top of the Maker! So, the only device I could take to my craft room was my iPad, and for some insane reason, the knife blade would not work with iOS. I almost sent the machine back then and there. I ended up buying a brand new laptop just so I could use the knife blade. Many people don't have the luxury of dropping $100s on a new laptop just to use one (very important) blade with the Maker.In addition to the laptop, I've spent 100s more to explore and make things on the Cricut Maker: additional mats, scoring blade, replacement knife blades, engraving tip, debossing tip, loads of vinyl and HTV, chipboard, leather, sticker paper, a brayer, masking tape... you get the idea. This is not a cheap hobby. :) I've cut leather, vinyl, chipboard, stickers, HTV, cardstock and balsawood. I've used the engraving tool, the debossing tool, the knife blade and the scoring wheel. I've made tons of vinyl decals, a chipboard cuckoo clock, stickers, mandalas, keychains, leather items, earrings and more.I encountered several bumps along the way; shredded chipboard, ruined vinyl, mat jammed, and an incident where I cut through the entire mat in a nice oval shape. Though I consider myself pretty tech savvy and an experienced crafter, this machine does have a moderate learning curve. While it's amazing that it cuts over 100 materials, oftentimes, the first material setting you choose may not be the right one. There are tons of material settings and picking the right one is often a case of trial and error. It wasn't until I'd ruined several pieces of chipboard that a kind crafter mentioned that you should always do test cuts first. Duh. I ended up creating a spreadsheet (another tip from a kind user) and keep track of all my material settings.My 2nd biggest frustration is Design Space. This is a common pain point for a lot of users. Though Cricut claims you can use the software "offline", you still have to sign in, so if your internet is down, you're out of luck. To date, I haven't found any way to use Design Space offline. Aside from having a Cricut Access subscription, I'm not sure why the software needs an internet connection. I haven't hit too many roadblocks with the software itself, however. Cricut Access is great if you're new, but once you get more experienced, you'll likely buy or design your own SVG files. Also, nowhere when you're about to cut does it tell you what mat to use. Super confusing if you're making a project with multiple media.My latest, and biggest, peeve with the Cricut Maker is the Print then Cut feature. Stickers are very "in" right now. I have a graphic design background, so making stickers was something I very much wanted to do with the Maker. The feature itself is not new and has been around for several years. My first few attempts with Print then Cut were OK, then someone mentioned you needed to calibrate it. Duh. After that, it's been hit and miss in terms of getting it to cut right. I had one night where the cuts were so bad they were nearly 1/2" off from where they should have been. I've calibrated, re-calibrated and even got to the point where Design Space said "Don't panic. Hmm. Your machine cannot be calibrated after three tries. For assistance, contact Member Care". I sent an email to Member Care and it took them TWO WEEKS to respond to me. Imagine if I was using this machine to run a small business! Despite finally getting it to calibrate (with no help from Support), I'd say about 1 out of every 10 sticker sheets cuts what I'd call perfect. The rest, the cuts are shifted slightly right/left or up/down and get worse further down the page. This is a COMMON issue and it seems most people have trouble with it. Even if you watch tutorials on YouTube, you'll often see their stickers don't cut perfectly. So, if you're looking to get any of the Cricut machines to SELL stickers, I'd look elsewhere. If you don't mind calibrating your machine every 10 sheets and enjoy imperfect cuts and borders, this is the machine for you.Overall, I like the machine, but when one of the most fun things you want to make with it doesn't work well, it's just maddening. I very much wanted to sell stickers, but with the quality control issues this machine has, you just can't. You can't rely on it for perfect cuts.

I love my machine for precise cutting, you must join their program and pay $10 per month to be able to enjoy the full benefits of your machine